You sent the permit package. A week later it comes back with a comment on the Manual J. Now the job waits, the homeowner calls, and the crew sits. Here's the good news: most Manual J rejections have nothing to do with the math. Plan reviewers bounce reports because a page is missing, an input doesn't match the plans, or the equipment doesn't fit the load. Those are easy to spot, and easy to fix before you submit. These are the six reasons we see most often, what the reviewer is looking for, and how to get it right the first time.
You sent the permit package. A week later it comes back with a comment on the Manual J. Now the job waits, the homeowner calls, and the crew sits.
Here's the good news: most Manual J rejections have nothing to do with the math. Plan reviewers bounce reports because a page is missing, an input doesn't match the plans, or the equipment doesn't fit the load. Those are easy to spot, and easy to fix before you submit.
These are the six reasons we see most often, what the reviewer is looking for, and how to get it right the first time.
Every Manual J starts with the outdoor design conditions: the summer and winter temperatures the system has to handle. Reviewers check this line first, because if it's wrong, every number after it is wrong too.
What gets it rejected: leaving the software on its default location, picking the nearest big city instead of the project's own, or setting indoor temperatures tighter than code allows to push the load up.
The fix: print the project's city or county with its summer and winter design temperatures. Keep indoor setpoints inside code limits (the IECC caps heating at 72°F and cooling at no lower than 75°F).
A single block load tells the reviewer how big the unit is. It doesn't tell them whether each room gets the air it needs. Room loads are what Manual D uses to size every supply run.
What gets it rejected: submitting only the one-page summary from the software, or a whole-house total typed into a form.
The fix: include heating and cooling loads (sensible and latent) for every room, the whole-house totals, and CFM per room when Manual D is part of the package.
Reviewers lay your load report next to the wall sections, the window schedule and the energy compliance form. If the three don't agree, you get a comment.
What gets it rejected: R-38 in the attic on the load report when the plans say R-30. Generic default windows. All the glass assigned to one wall. U-factor and SHGC that don't match the specified product. An energy report and load report done from different plan sets.
The fix: pull R-values for walls, attic, floors and slab edge straight from the plans. Enter each window's area, orientation, U-factor and SHGC from the window schedule. In hot climates, sun through glass is one of the biggest parts of the cooling load, so this matters.
How tight the house is and where the ducts run both add to the load. Ducts in a hot attic gain heat. Ducts inside conditioned space don't.
What gets it rejected: ducts modelled in conditioned space when they actually run through the attic, or a "leaky" house picked just to make a bigger unit pass.
The fix: use a tightness level that matches the code's air-leakage testing, the real duct location (attic, conditioned space or crawl), and honest duct insulation and leakage assumptions.
This is the big one. Manual S says the equipment's real capacity at your design conditions has to match the Manual J load, within set limits. Nominal tonnage on the box doesn't count.
What gets it rejected: comparing nominal tons to the load, or going one size up "to be safe." In Florida, there's no padding for "future expansion."
Why bigger isn't safer: an oversized unit short-cycles, so it wears out faster. Short runs don't give the coil time to pull moisture out, so the house feels cool and clammy. And airflow sized for the wrong load leaves some rooms hot and others cold.
The fix: attach a Manual S worksheet that compares the unit's sensible and latent capacity at design conditions with the Manual J loads, plus heating capacity.
Clerical mismatches are one of the easiest ways to get a package bounced. The reviewer is checking that this report belongs to this job, this equipment and this code.
What gets it rejected:
The fix: check that the owner or contractor name, site address, permit number, code edition, designer and date all match the application. Show the ACCA-approved software name and version with a reference to Manual J 8th Edition. Attach the AHRI certificate with indoor and outdoor model numbers that match your Manual S. If ducts change, include Manual D.
Run your package against this quick list. Any "no" is a likely comment from the plans examiner.
One more tip: put the package together in the order the reviewer reads it. Project info and summary, then Manual J room by room, then Manual S with the AHRI certificate, then Manual D if ducts change, then the energy compliance report. A package that reads in review order gets approved faster.
Your AHJ has the final word. Requirements vary by county and code edition.
Psychro.pro prepares permit-ready Manual J, S and D reports in 24–48 hours. Not sure what your AHJ needs? Send us your plans and we'll tell you which reports you need, plus a quote, within 4 hours. Free.
Want the full list? Grab our free Permit-Proof Manual J Checklist: 10 things plan reviewers check before they approve your load calc.
